As reported in Nextgov, MITRE called for greater attention to identity issues after a series of workshops held with stakeholders about the importance of White House leadership. “There's a limited amount of things that an administration can work on. It's up to them to pick their priorities, and this hasn't been one of their top priorities” in the Biden administration or the Trump administration, says Duane Blackburn, deputy director of MITRE’s Center for Data Driven Policy who previously worked on identity issues in government.
One of the first things to focus on, says Blackburn, who co-chairs the FedID planning committee, is the “need for a coordinated approach to digital identity. Not just in government, but in the government and private sector.”
“We still have a lot of fragmented and uncoordinated, but good, identity activities happening,” he continues. “But there’s an upper bounds to the benefits of what we’re able to provide without that holistic, strategic approach…. You really need the White House and its convening power to pull everybody together.”